tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30367720203829320432024-03-12T18:04:54.012-07:00green mamagreenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-77443704225569874842009-01-18T09:50:00.000-08:002009-01-18T14:34:52.231-08:00Mad at Parenting Magazine<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFSApCyi3-efhTBqE-dsBF7x9TsKcE4YEuHrNdMz450JO9d2_sj4B0mPC5o-hMPot1YUUX3qG4qtIOgH0BVYJtUh7M0iyuOpWP5I5Yv6r02-cwCY8or-rOeazhaGSND8s3Cbc-rXDv9vTy/s1600-h/D1451~Twinkies-Posters.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFSApCyi3-efhTBqE-dsBF7x9TsKcE4YEuHrNdMz450JO9d2_sj4B0mPC5o-hMPot1YUUX3qG4qtIOgH0BVYJtUh7M0iyuOpWP5I5Yv6r02-cwCY8or-rOeazhaGSND8s3Cbc-rXDv9vTy/s400/D1451~Twinkies-Posters.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292764535048351666" /></a><br />The woman that used to live in our house gets Parenting magazine, and I usually flip through it before putting them on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Freecycle</span>. I typically find it highly amusing, occasionally informational, and now-frightening. I got to the last page of the magazine and they have a top ten list of "things not to feel guilty about". <div>"Feeling secretly glad when you catch your neighbor's "perfect" child in a nuclear meltdown" is number 4. Okay, I can identify. Although I probably shouldn't admit it. There are mostly harmless little tidbits such as that comprising this list. Enter number 5 "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Introducing you sister's kid-little miss organic-only-to her very first <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Twinkie</span></span>" <div><br /><div>Smart food choices have never been more difficult or more important than they are today. How dare this magazine suggest that it is okay to sneak toxic foods into your families diet or into someone else's diet or into anyone's diet? I will admit, I am a bit psychotic about it. But in an age of high fructose corn syrup, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">BPA</span>, growth hormones, genetically modified foods, and antibiotics-how could I not be? Our children are suffering from obesity and type 2 diabetes in skyrocketing numbers-how could I not be? The FDA is worthless-how could I not be? Family farms are disappearing and be replaced by giant corporations-how could I not be?</div><div><br /></div><div>It is a very sad thing that Parenting magazine is encouraging women to betray their friends and family in this way. No, it is <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> only a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Twinkie</span>. It is a life-style choice to be "little miss organic-only", and a responsible one that should be supported by everyone surrounding that child. Everything we put in our mouths is a conscience choice with so many <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">repercussions. There are enough people influencing our children to eat the wrong thing; Hostess, Kellogs, Monsanto. We shouldn't have to worry about it being our sisters.</span></div></div></div>greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-19866478755833526442009-01-13T21:21:00.000-08:002009-01-13T21:35:54.009-08:00What can you do today?I randomly made the mistake of driving through our neighborhood on the trash day after X-mas., typically I take the back way. Seriously, it made me want to cry. For many reasons; the amount of garbage from the new stuff, the amount of old stuff that was being thrown out, the belief that if you just buy your kids one more toy that might be "the one" and they might start to like you, the idea that "stuff" will make you happy. Okay, okay, I will quit. <div>My favorite tip for this time of year is to re-use that wrapping paper. We didn't do the whole gift thing this year, but inevitably the grandparents and such did. I could never just throw wrapping paper away. I <del>have </del>had a very scary private stash of used wrapping paper under my bed. Yes, scary.....I have been saving it for quite some time. I didn't know why. I can't explain it, but there it was.<br /><div>Then it <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">occurred</span> to me how I might re-use it. And out came the shredder. This is quite possibly my favorite recycling program yet. I fed all that paper to my shredder and am using it to pack boxes, do art projects and who-knows what else. It is cute and a much better way of using it than just stashing it for that moment when I decide that wrapping a gift in used paper is acceptable. Although, I am sure that day will come too.</div></div>greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-84764846794240356622008-11-17T12:04:00.001-08:002008-11-17T12:42:19.557-08:00Meatless MondayToday is a soup cooking kinda day here in Mid-MO. So I have raided the fridge and pantry and prepared a pretty delish veggie soup. I had some frozen vegetable stock in the freezer, that certainly made my life easier today.<br />My niece spends the afternoons with us after she gets out of kindergarten, they only go a half day. Today is the day after her birthday and she and E both have a bit of a sugar hang-over. I promptly fed them lunch and put them to bed. I can't think of anything better to cure that day after feeling than a warm bowl of vegetable soup on a cold, windy day. Oh, except maybe some fresh bread straight out of the oven. Yum.<br />This recipe originally called for jalapeno peppers, but in the interest of making it a little more kid friendly today....I used zavory. This is a pepper I had never seen until I spotted it at the Farmer's market. The vendor insisted I try one right then and there. It was amazing. What a wonderful sales tactic, I bought up the whole lot and went back for more the next week. You can just eat it right off the stem, it has a wonderful flavor but no heat. It is perfection in this bread, if you want to ease up on the spice a bit. I usually make two loaves of this bread, one for the grown-ups and one for the kiddos....just be sure you know which is which! It disappears so fast in this house, no need to worry about spoilage. I have also substituted other cheeses, such as asiago. Play with it!<br /><br />Cheese and Pepper Bread<br /><br />1 teaspoon active dry yeast<br />1 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon warm water (105-115 degrees)<br />4 cups flour plus additional for dusting (I have used all-purpose, bread, and wheat flour. all work well)<br />1 1/2 teaspoons salt<br />1/4 cup olive oil<br />5 tablespoons chopped fresh pepper (if using a mild pepper, including seeds and ribs. if using a jalapeno I do 3 tbsp. with seeds and ribs and 2 tbsp. without)<br />5 ounces coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar (1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp.)<br />3/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano<br />1 large egg, beaten with a pinch of salt<br /><br />Stir together yeast and 1 tablespoon warm water in a small bowl; let mixture stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (if it doesn't foam, start over)<br />Mix together flour, salt, oil, yeast mixture, and remaining 1 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat at low speed until a soft dough forms, increase speed to medium-high and beat 3 minutes more. Add pepper, 1 1/2 cups Cheddar, and 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano and mix until combined.<br />Scrape dough down side of bowl into center, then sprinkle lightly with flower. Cover bowl with a clean towel to keep a crust from forming and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.<br />Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface (dough will be sticky!) and gently form into a roughly 11-by 8-inch rectangle with floured hands.<br />Fold dough in thirds (like a letter) with floured hands, pressing along seam of each fold to seal.<br />Put dough, seam side down in an oiled 9- by 5-inch loaf pan. Cover pan with same clean kitchen towel and let dough rise a draft-free place at warm room temperature until dough completely fills pan and rises above it slightly, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.<br />Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400.<br />Brush loaf with egg, then sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons Cheddar and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano down center of loaf.<br />Bake until bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, 50 minutes to 1 hours. Run a knife around edge of pan to loosen loaf, then remove from pant to test for doneness.<br />Return bread (not in pan) to oven and turn on its side, then bake 10 minutes more to crisp crust. Cool completely on a rack, about 1 1/2 hours.greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-35688363927542481962008-11-12T20:08:00.000-08:002008-11-12T20:29:21.094-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdNikX_VZfyLOuV7B9bM6Vj5Xg2-yOPlSTsDkEUeefVSfFszgTMnwTb62Zfzm6Jn3z3RYaExlH1_MarmVmwTaXIcWwiPh-9m1bLvJR_t3LntM9lBjUQCxvTd-JZn8z-PqXqPwkNM94NB5c/s1600-h/100_9321.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdNikX_VZfyLOuV7B9bM6Vj5Xg2-yOPlSTsDkEUeefVSfFszgTMnwTb62Zfzm6Jn3z3RYaExlH1_MarmVmwTaXIcWwiPh-9m1bLvJR_t3LntM9lBjUQCxvTd-JZn8z-PqXqPwkNM94NB5c/s400/100_9321.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267990210268443618" /></a><br />It has been round-about five months since my last post. Jeez, time flies. What have I done in that time? Hummm...<br />Well for starters L started to walk, which in and of it's self is enough to flip my world upside down. She is into everything! I finally have all the outlets plugged, and the cabinets under lock and key. Yet, still she is fearless. Her favorite place to hang out in the whole world is standing on top of E's doll house. It still gives me a mini-heart attack on occasion.<br />I also have done quite a bit of canning, which makes another one of my "to do" list items done. Yeah me!<br />We canned about 80 lbs of tomatoes in various concoctions, salsa, spagetti sauce, tomato juice and whole tomatoes. We had to supplement a bit with goods from the farmers market. We got 20 lbs. of onions and two cases of peppers from a produce auction. In addition to the tomato goodies we also roasted and froze peppers, shredded or sliced and froze zucchini and squash, and I still have a few onions hanging out in my garage. We also made tons of pesto and froze it into cute little cubes. <br />We ended up canning about 2 dozen quarts of peaches. They are beautiful. I so sincerly wish we had done that earlier in the season, so that I would have had time to realize that 24 jars is not nearly enough to get us through til next season. Damn the luck. They are going so fast I can hardly beleive it. Everyone in the family loves them and I am inclined to hide a few jars so we can enjoy them after the first snow.<br />Picking apples was quite a treat. The orchard we choose also is home to alpacas. It was awesome seeing the girls get to pet them and learn about them. Plus, we scored some cheap wool socks. The trees were dwarfs so there were no ladders involved, huge bonus. We ended up coming home with 100 lbs. of apples and quickly turned them into super yummy applesauce and apple butter. We also chopped and froze some for pies. They keep for quite a while, I think I still have about 20 lbs. in the fridge that will just get eaten casually throughout the next few months. <br />I have also fallen into some absolutly delicious pears. Twice this week friends have shown up at my door with large bags full of pears that they basically found on the side of the road. One of the friends works for a gentleman that has trees on his land, but he doesn't do anything with them. I think I am headed up there this weekend to see what I can find. There is also rumor of nut trees....Yum.<br />All in all it has been a bountiful fall so far. I am mourning the last weekend of the farmer's market. Our CSA was officially over two weeks ago. The market has still had quite a few brave souls, but the selection gets more and more grim with each passing week. We shall see if there are any sweet potatoes or peppers left this weekend and I will be sure to stock up on that delish goat cheese, then that will be the end of it. Poor me.greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-49723865195522799982008-06-19T21:28:00.000-07:002008-06-27T06:29:16.233-07:00Gotta love the egg timer<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCsG6ua_7uUxEV4LgQKTuYhwPmmmdfpAvREhxyxlKJhYOCkj1MI6dXGSnpmEN3FWA8vT5RvO9lgLGe3j_8GPu3qMZqgiRlC-4OtroFRVdbuJa-CROdeKYJ1t9p6Z7AMYtDryZ9AbC9OTq/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCsG6ua_7uUxEV4LgQKTuYhwPmmmdfpAvREhxyxlKJhYOCkj1MI6dXGSnpmEN3FWA8vT5RvO9lgLGe3j_8GPu3qMZqgiRlC-4OtroFRVdbuJa-CROdeKYJ1t9p6Z7AMYtDryZ9AbC9OTq/s400/1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216551373538591634" /></a><br /><br />I have been feeling a little <del>dejected</del> busy lately, and totally worthless for blogging. However, today I took a peek at my blog, mostly to see what other people were doing....and found out I can mark another item off of my "to do" list. Yeah me!<br /><br />We got rid of our microwave. I was thinking I might do an <a href="http://www.alive.com/153a1a2.php?subject_bread_cramb=449">experiment on the effects of microwave ovens</a>, but then I realized how much I love <em>both </em>my Jade plants and opted just to get rid of the damn thing. So onto Freecycle it went.<br /><br />I was a little nervous in the aftermath. I have a 5 month old baby who I am making food for and thought I would be microwaving this food. Guess again. I am okay with that, <a href="http://www.alive.com/153a1a2.php?subject_bread_cramb=449">as she is much better off for it anyway</a>. Somehow in my sick, twisted mind I have to keep my babies safe, but my health on the other hand is a free for all. I eat right and get plenty of exercise, just by default. Because I am the defender of my little ones, I also eat organic broccoli, herbs from the backyard and free range eggs.<br /><br />However, one of the vices I have yet to relinquish is my coffee habit. That being said, I am not the type to consume multiple double shot latteblahblahblahs. I have my cup in the morning, made right in my kitchen, and drank out of a ceramic cup. So, I don't feel toooo terribly guilty for this small pleasure. In the back of my mind is the nagging thoughts of how bad my coffee is for me and the environment, so it is on my to do list. Oh, and I like to microwave old coffee.....<br /><br />The things I use(d) my microwave for<br />-old coffee<br />-"softening butter"<br />-the timer feature<br /><br />But all in all it has been a pretty smooth transition. I never realized how dangerous it could be to <a href="http://www.alive.com/3833a2a2.php?subject_bread_cramb=449">put a cup of water</a> or coffee in the microwave. I have a whole new system for getting my old coffee warmed up which involves adding a mini-scoop of new coffee and a bit of water and turning the pot on. I just have to remember to only do that for two days, otherwise who knows how long I would be recycling coffee grounds. yuck. My mother questions this technique, but I figure it is at least better for me than radiation.<br /><br />As far as my butter, it softens pretty quickly in a cast iron skillet. duh. Plus, why would I want to soften my butter in something so toxic, to make bread that is "good for me."<br /><br />And I splurged on an old-school egg timer, which I am in love with.greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-28662958796148059002008-06-10T06:11:00.000-07:002008-06-10T06:47:34.990-07:00Sometimes one is enough<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3mrB3_kn-JHJZwEs7eJ1MFWgS0BSNBMh5_jtGdIgK1CDe8kfZJ4cuLRejGZmmzlZpe66hJx0iv829jv8w5ivE_y31x9RuN2UUtTIbeTrUjwYMtrmKyrGlwkpTPlVd2_1usKIvVJRdZ5f/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210241703876854930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3mrB3_kn-JHJZwEs7eJ1MFWgS0BSNBMh5_jtGdIgK1CDe8kfZJ4cuLRejGZmmzlZpe66hJx0iv829jv8w5ivE_y31x9RuN2UUtTIbeTrUjwYMtrmKyrGlwkpTPlVd2_1usKIvVJRdZ5f/s400/1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>With the Hallmark Holiday of Father's Day quickly approching, I am losing sleep. My Guy prepped me weeks ago. He sat down at the computer and was shoppping <a href="http://www.amazon.com/">Amazon</a> out loud. You know what I am talking about.</div><div>"oh, this one looks nice. let me read you the reviews...."</div>"now, I like that this one comes with suchandsuch...."<br /><br />So now, with only 5 shopping days till Father's Day, I don't know what to do. My dillema lies in to buy or not to buy.<br /><br />Part of the problem that I am having is completely and totally selfish. I didn't <del>get a damn thing</del> even get a card for Mother's Day, and barely got a Happy Mother's day wish. I don't expect a new iPod (that is what my girlfriend got, ahem), something cute and thoughtful would have been wonderful. Some examples of what I would have liked from My Guy include: teaching my daughter to say "happy mother's day", a painting or drawing done in secret for said holiday, breakfast cooked for me (not the kind where I get to clean up a huge disater in the kitchen afterwards). And although I got none of those things, I do not want to let my raw feelings ruin Father's Day. However, My Guy is more of a *stuff* person than I am and he would like <em>something</em>, I am sure.<br /><br />Now, we have already made a super cute "I love Daddy" book out of cardboard. And if he knows what is good for him, he will gush over it. I have plans to head out to the farm that I bought our CSA from and pack a picnic and go fishing. I think this sounds like fun, and it will be a memory maker. <br /><br />But, then what? The reasons I don't want to buy (in no particular order)<br /><br />1.Our children are young. We have <em>a lot</em> of these holidays ahead of us. I don't want to set the bar too high at this stage in the game.<br />2. I try not to buy anything we don't have to have. We are saving for a house, and I am just an <a href="http://babyprint.blogspot.com/2008/06/price-of-happiness.html">not the consumer I used to be</a>.<br />3. I am still secretly sad about my mother's day. Even though I tell everyone I put no stock in these stupid Hallmark holidays.<br />4. I know that if I buy him what he wants, it will sit in his shop, unused, 364 days of the year. Annoying.<br />5. That one day of the year that it does get used, I will <del>have</del> get to hear all about it. "honey, its a good thing i've got this. what would i do without it?" Annoying.<br /><br />So with all these reasons to not buy, I only have one reason to buy. <em>It will make him happy.</em> I guess I better get to the hardware store.greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-88117938840569990102008-06-09T11:51:00.000-07:002008-06-09T14:56:50.580-07:00Meatless MondayTonight we are going to enjoy the bounty from the farmer's market and our CSA goodies. We got a bunch of strawberries, and last night I made strawberry shortcake with them. Yum! The difference between a strawberry from a local farm and a strawberry from the grocery store is astounding. <br />We also got a few sprigs of asparagus, damn that short-lived season. Mostly we got greens, spinach and such. So tonight we are having big salads and these goat cheese and herb souffles. I found some seriously delicious goat cheese at the Farmer's market, it is a tad expensive but I can't help myself and have bought some every week. I can justify it because I get the fresh herbs out of the garden and don't have to pay $3.00 for a litte bunch at the grocery store. So I think it works out.<br /><br /><br />Ingredients<br /><br />7 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese<br />3/4 cup whole milk<br />3 large egg yolks<br />2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter<br />1/2 cup chopped red onion<br />1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme<br />1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary<br />2 tablespoons all purpose flour<br />1 cup crumbled soft fresh goat cheese<br />3/4 teaspoon salt<br />1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper<br />Large pinch of cayenne pepper<br />4 large egg whites <br /><br />Preparation<br /><br />Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter six 3/4-cup soufflé dishes. Place 1 tablespoon Parmesan in each dish; rotate dishes to coat with cheese, leaving excess in dishes. Place dishes on baking sheet. Whisk milk and yolks in bowl to blend.<br />Melt butter in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, thyme, and rosemary; sauté 3 minutes. Add flour; whisk 1 minute. Whisk in milk mixture. Whisk soufflé base until thick and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add 1/2 cup goat cheese, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper; whisk until cheese melts. Beat whites in bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold 1/4 of whites into base in pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup goat cheese and 1 tablespoon Parmesan over. Fold in remaining whites in 2 additions. Divide mixture among dishes.<br /><br />Bake soufflés until puffed and beginning to brown on top, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-636319152696773082008-06-02T18:12:00.000-07:002008-06-02T20:12:47.512-07:00Meatless MondayThis Meatless Monday we are having cake, and eating it too! Now, I realize cake doesn't typically contain meat. However, this particular chocolate cake contains no milk or eggs, so it is pretty animal friendly. Try this cake, you won't regret it.<br /><br />Chocolate Cake<br /><br />1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour<br />1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa<br />1 tsp. baking soda<br />1 cup sugar<br />1/2 tsp. salt<br />1 cup strong brewed coffee, warm<br />1/2 cup light olive oil<br />1/2 tsp. vanilla extract<br />1 Tbsp. aged balsamic vinegar<br /><br />Tip: Quality cocoa ensures rich chocolate flavor. Try Green & Black's organic cocoa-available at gourmet and natural food markets.<br /><br />Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat an 8-inch round cake pan with softened butter. Line bottom with wax paper, coat with butter and dust with all-purpose flour. Set aside. Whisk the cake flour, cocoa, baking soda, sugar, and salt together in a large bow and set aside. Stir the coffee, oil, vanilla, and vinegar together and whisk into the flour mixture, just until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the center rack of the oven until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean- 25-30 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Serve with Deep Chocolate Glaze.<br /><br />Deep Chocolate Glaze<br /><br />8 oz. Bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped <br />4 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter<br />1 Tbsp. corn syrup<br />1 cup heavy cream, plus 2 Tbsp.<br /><br />Place the chocolate, butter and corn syrup in a medium-size heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to a boil and pour it over the chocolate. Gently stir, using a whisk, until smooth. Use immediately. (this makes enough for two cakes)greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-69588874163730695492008-06-01T19:55:00.000-07:002008-06-01T20:20:03.446-07:00The price of happiness<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieyffBYvMqgn1hZDfNKqHwAJ7PjUqSWLB4f_qQajNmw9k_sR2Sx5iyMEKULIhYB3o4vVduV_KupC585_7yvEwZjC7Z0i1p7NxIpAH9vKYhfnGgunb2A6i77rQQtSnv6E92Zx0X9sCsLF2k/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieyffBYvMqgn1hZDfNKqHwAJ7PjUqSWLB4f_qQajNmw9k_sR2Sx5iyMEKULIhYB3o4vVduV_KupC585_7yvEwZjC7Z0i1p7NxIpAH9vKYhfnGgunb2A6i77rQQtSnv6E92Zx0X9sCsLF2k/s400/1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207118463548436402" /></a><br />I was going to discuss all the wonderful deals I got at various garage sales this weekend. Somehow, I have lost my steam.<br /><br />I am a recovering retail whore. There, I said it. It is truly shocking the total 180 that I have done over the last year or so. Admittedly, I have a ways to go still, sometimes I still get that itch. In order to keep myself from running to the nearest mall, I garage sale. I have to tell you I love it. I like all the aspects of it. First and foremost, the bargains, jeez have I ever found some deals. I also like that I am keeping someone else's junk out of the landfill. It is also a much better way of recycling than putting your plastics in that blue bag on the curb. Then when I get tired of it, I just sell it to someone else in a garage sale, and the recycling circle is complete.<br /><br />I started hitting the yard sales when I was pregnant with E. I like to buy the sort of things that you never can get enough use out of, such as maternity and infant clothing. It is such a waste, and I just cannot justify spending money on a shirt that I may wear a handful of times over a span of nine months. I also like to buy furniture (yes, My Guy hates hates hates that) and toys.<br /><br />This weekend I happened to find some yummy deals on Lego's, E's obsession. I brought home my goodies and had to throw it all on the back porch because we were running behind on a few obligations that we had on Saturday afternoon. Then this morning E happened to find my stash.<br /><br /><em>thatmytoieemommy?iwanmytoieemommyiwanmytoiee</em><br /><em></em><br />I replied that I would have to wash these toys before she could play with them. She proceeded to follow me around with a red mesh bag full of Lego's.....<br /><br /><em>youwashmytoieemomy?youwashmytoiee?</em><br /><em></em><br />Finally, I just had to stop and wash them up. I was hesitant because my original plan was to save these particular Lego's until I found out if L was the mouthy-type. E never really put anything in her mouth, and I am hoping L is the same way. If she is not, the last thing I want strung all over the house are these tiny little bricks. But, it was too late.<br /><br />I headed to the bathroom sink with E hot on my heels, jangling the bag of Lego's. We filled up the sink with hot soapy water and dumped her treasure in. As we swish them around, my darling daughter looks up at me and says,<br /><br /><em>mommyihappy</em><br /><br />My heart soars. Then I am hit with the realization that I am creating a little retail whore. Damn.greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-11397152160340882402008-05-27T11:56:00.000-07:002008-05-28T06:39:42.091-07:00Works for Me Wednesday<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQ-tcIriNVbbil1L6EKXdHwBe_OmzWAlN_GZWF3Es8xDHW0Km4XhwSsAgrk3wP_GR43K8uORhz6N_U-pW30hqGS8SGBuUgJT_f-t5xR1PtcBStxLnEZns93PSYYJ0uDrHcKyj5t0h-xvr/s1600-h/6a00d83451c5ac69e200e5517781a38833-800wi.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205137255264333666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQ-tcIriNVbbil1L6EKXdHwBe_OmzWAlN_GZWF3Es8xDHW0Km4XhwSsAgrk3wP_GR43K8uORhz6N_U-pW30hqGS8SGBuUgJT_f-t5xR1PtcBStxLnEZns93PSYYJ0uDrHcKyj5t0h-xvr/s320/6a00d83451c5ac69e200e5517781a38833-800wi.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.sockmonkeylady.com/homepagephoto.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.sockmonkeylady.com/homepagephoto.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I came home to four paper sacks <a href="http://babyprint.blogspot.com/2008/05/sock-monkey-anyone.html">full of clothes in the hallway yesterday</a>. One of which seemed to have some good socks in it.<br /><br />In the spirit of recycling and using the things we have, instead of buying new things, I found some uses for those socks. I am gonna make E and L sock monkeys, just because I have always wanted to. I have also used these ideas, and love them. Especially the soap!!<br /><br />-Make muscle relaxing packs. Fill with rice or wheat and sew up the open end. Place in the microwave with a glass of water to heat for 1 minute. Hang around your neck or place on other sore muscles for instant relief. (Note: Always include the glass of water to provide moisture or the pack can catch on fire if it dries out too much after repeated use.)<br /><br />-Make garden soap holders. Gardening can be messy and dirty. Pop a soap bar into the bottom of an old sock and tie a knot around the soap part of the sock. Leave the long part of the sock for tying onto a faucet in the garden. It will be ready for you whenever you need to clean up outside after a gardening session.<br /><br /><br />You can see the entire <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Recycle-Your-Socks">article</a> and judge for yourself. I will probably skip the quilt made of socks, but then again it is 90 degrees right now....maybe I will change my mind come December.<br /><br /><del>We</del> I have been using socks to dust the blinds for quite sometime. I will certainly be adding that to my little ones chore list, once they are a bit older. My five year old niece thinks it is a blast to gear up in a pair of socks and dust the living room. I can't wait.</div><br /><div> </div><br /><div>For more great tips visit <a href="http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/">Rocks in my Dryer</a> </div>greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-23631873494483392542008-05-27T07:22:00.000-07:002008-05-27T11:54:01.191-07:00Sock Monkey anyone?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLr8MN8WFWzbytEyqzg72vI5ULr0JS3cgyK4mpHcxn-Okb-WnAwyMmZ7uoiYlCrBV9gQ2UdR7oDASsx5f50-di5VfVtkPz5EC5hpEDj39HxMfrT2L_G5rXZ9d4HtfrGMDNURqz0gOnvG_P/s1600-h/100_8585.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLr8MN8WFWzbytEyqzg72vI5ULr0JS3cgyK4mpHcxn-Okb-WnAwyMmZ7uoiYlCrBV9gQ2UdR7oDASsx5f50-di5VfVtkPz5EC5hpEDj39HxMfrT2L_G5rXZ9d4HtfrGMDNURqz0gOnvG_P/s400/100_8585.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205069403370991426" /></a><br />I am totally giddy this morning. <br /><br />Yesterday I went out to my mom's for a few hours, her parents and brother were in town. I hadn't seen them in awhile and they had never even meet L. Do you ever have those moments when you wonder "how could I be related to these people?"<br /><br />My mom made burgers with chorizo in them topped with red pepper puree and caramelized onions and jalapenos. (She is not on my <a href="http://babyprint.blogspot.com/2008/04/meatless-monday.html">Meatless Monday</a> bandwagon.....yet) They looked delicious. I did take a taste of the puree, yum. My dear uncle didn't even know what chorizo is....how are they siblings?<br /><br />Anyway, when I got home My Guy had mowed the lawn, done the dishes (we don't use our dishwasher anymore...) and <em>cleaned out the closet</em>. Let me tell you, I have been hounding, pleading, begging, nagging him to clean out the closet since January. And, all of the sudden he finally did it yesterday. There are four paper sacks of clothes sitting in our hallway waiting for me to do something with them. Now, most of the time I drop them at Goodwill or the Wardrobe. I have tried taking them to a second hand shop in town, and they do buy some of our stuff occasionally. But it is pretty depressing to watch them rifle through all of our stuff and reject most of it. I guess we just aren't cool enough.<br /><br />This is where My Guy and I differ, well, one of the many places. I see all of this *stuff* as money spent and he just sees it as *stuff* he doesn't use that someone else could. I have a hard time letting go of things because I usually know what I paid for it and never feel that we got full use out of it. Which is why I am loving the garage sale and thrift store purchases, but more on that later. It also helps that I have not bought anything new since January, well nothing that wasn't a necessity. With, of course a few guilty exceptions. Ooops.<br /><br />This time I have decided to dig through it and see if I can find alternative uses for any of it. And I am not talking about rags. (although I am sure there are a few white tees in there that have carpet scrubbing in their future) I already spied something made of heavy corduroy....would that make a good bean bag for E? I love to unravel sweaters and use the wool for pants over L's cloth diapers. Wonder if there are any wool sweaters in there? Curtains out of the old man's clothes may be a little much. Let's see what I can come up with.....greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-67911088665748766102008-05-26T05:40:00.000-07:002008-05-26T06:06:47.290-07:00Meatless Monday<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWb2aXNCz039uaL_yQTpawacTESi4cW2dvs5TvYxQDlTD7j53BVdW1Peh8AoeOVVb2auwsEbUGDDuPYGVzShPhqaGX3qU_umEuGyV2bPhQqhcm5sPqNMBcC78tn8Y7l6N6l1HyKTgWt44E/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWb2aXNCz039uaL_yQTpawacTESi4cW2dvs5TvYxQDlTD7j53BVdW1Peh8AoeOVVb2auwsEbUGDDuPYGVzShPhqaGX3qU_umEuGyV2bPhQqhcm5sPqNMBcC78tn8Y7l6N6l1HyKTgWt44E/s400/1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5204669404476780338" /></a><br />Happy Meatless Memorial Monday.<br /><br />I had big concerns over how much opposition I was going to encounter on this meatless Monday. My Guy is a big griller, and especially on such a holiday. It seems <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day">Memorial Day</a> is not really about honoring our veterans, but about lighting up the BBQ grill. My dad would freak if he knew that we weren't eating some sort of red meat today. Never the less, I have found an acceptable alternative that didn't cause too much of an uproar when I posed it to My Guy.<br /><br />So here ya' go. I haven't tried the mushrooms yet, but it seems pretty straight forward. I am going to be serving them burger-style with a slice of cheese and an onion bun from our local bakery. The Marinated Barbecued Vegetables are a staple and they find their way onto the grill every time we light it. Even E likes them. I think they are yummy served warm or cold.<br /><br /><br />Grilled Portobello Mushrooms<br /><br />3 <a href="http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/portobellosportabellas.htm">portobello</a> mushrooms<br />1/4 cup canola oil<br />3 Tblsp. chopped onion<br />4 cloves garlic, minced<br />4 Tblsp. balsamic vinegar<br /><br />Clean mushrooms and remove stems, reserve for other use. Place caps on a plate with the gills up.<br />In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Pour mixture over the mushroom caps and let stand for 1 hour.<br />Grill over hot grill for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.<br /><br /><br />Marinated Barbecued Vegetables<br /><br />1 eggplant, cut into 3/4 inch thick slices<br />2 red or green bell peppers, seeded and cut into wide strips<br />3 zucchinis, sliced<br />3 squash, sliced<br />1/2 cup olive oil<br />1/2 cup lemon juice<br />1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil<br />4 cloves garlic, minced<br /><br />In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, basil and garlic. Pour the mixture over vegetables, cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.<br /><br />Place the vegetables on hot grill and cook about 2 or 3 minutes per side, brushing with marinade.greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-86987572329101726322008-05-21T11:54:00.000-07:002008-05-21T12:30:54.374-07:00Pass the milkI am so having <em>one of those days</em>.<br /><br />This morning the neighbor boy came over for a bit while his parents were busy. Everything was going swimmingly, until I looked over at E. She had woken up just after he got there, and was still in her jammies. Just as I looked at her a big juicy poo fell out of her pants and dropped in a puddle of piss. Awesome.<br /><br />When they came to pick him up, they offered to let E go over and play while I ran errands. This is perfect, she is ready to go...and in a diaper because I cannot deal with anymore accidents. We have been having a really bad week of accidents and I am over it.<br /><br />So I head of to my WIC appointment. I applied for WIC about a month ago and this was my second visit. I hate, hate, hate it. I have already had the "is it worth it?" conversation with my guy. He thinks if I can deal with it, then yes it is worth it. As of right now we get 6 gallons of milk, 2 dozen eggs, 36 0z. of juice, 1 lb. of cheese, 18 oz. of peanut butter and one can of evaporated milk. However, in order to get these things every month, we have to go in for "nutrition" consultations and "general nutrition" classes. This morning was one of those general nutrition classes. I am sitting there in a room full of women with their babies...one of whom is feeding her infant *CHEETOS*, yes, Cheetos. I could not even believe it. The over zealous woman running the class started by asking everyone what a calorie is. Silence. After a few quite moments, I finally pipe up that it is a measurement of energy. She almost hugged me.<br /><br />She goes on to tell us all the predictable things. Eat so many fruits, eat so many veggies, meat is a source of protein, blah, blah, blah. Then she starts in on a milk rant and how that is the biggest thing that she wants us all to come away with. How extremely important calcium and milk are, and that we should all be sure that our little ones are drinking enough. <br /><br />Just as I was about to put in my two cents and ask her how she felt about all the hormones, antibiotics, dead bacteria, and fecal matter in her frosty live-saving glass of milk....a woman comes in to get me to ask me if I am still breastfeeding. Jeez, that was a narrow escape. I manage to make it out of the WIC office without totally losing my mind. <br /><br />I head to the grocery store and collect the items I am "allowed" from my checks. All the while wondering why in the hell are they giving me evaporated milk? Why are they giving me sugar laden juice? And where are all the fruits and vegetables? I get all my stuff, and find some killer deals on some natural/organic soap and lotion. And into the check-out line I go. The woman behind the register saw my WIC checks and was visibly distraught. I took a deep breath and proceeded to put my items on the convayor belt. She about has a melt down and treats me like I am a piece of garbage. Then all of the sudden when I am paying for my non-WIC items, she completely transforms and I am just another customer that she is pleasantly chatting with. L was being her adorable self and was giving her huge smiles. She asked me if L was my only one, I took a deep breath and tried to be friendly. No, I replied, my other one is playing at the neighbors. Oh, and where is dad? she asks. <br /><br />It was then that I realized I was still being judged. None of your god-damned business! was the first thing that came to mind. Somehow I manage to get through the transaction. I don't make it out of the parking lot before I break down into tears. I suppose I am a little hormonal. I can't wait to tell my guy about this one, when he gets home from working a 12 or 13 hour day out in the hot sun. He will go ballistic. heeheehee I guess I won't be going to WIC anymore.<br /><br />And then, just as I walk in the door with my arms full of babies and groceries, the dog pukes on the carpet. I sure could use a drink.greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-69265402840258404962008-05-21T06:10:00.000-07:002008-05-21T06:34:50.818-07:00Works for Me Wednesday<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1O0EpY-1Npmk6XqaTvGBekylIK6OIIt0rjV84b7Abif4IW1GuuCDcpMboMUf9_EOcQRvJiDeZQgMH1RK9CAgI2hULQWKq6Qp4nO0MHPt_3PTdz3EHzhyphenhyphenqKaGYDqC8pSrM_6L7QpAfTxhg/s1600-h/6a00d83451c5ac69e200e5517781a38833-800wi.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1O0EpY-1Npmk6XqaTvGBekylIK6OIIt0rjV84b7Abif4IW1GuuCDcpMboMUf9_EOcQRvJiDeZQgMH1RK9CAgI2hULQWKq6Qp4nO0MHPt_3PTdz3EHzhyphenhyphenqKaGYDqC8pSrM_6L7QpAfTxhg/s200/6a00d83451c5ac69e200e5517781a38833-800wi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202821989519549922" /></a><br />I stumbled upon this on accident. Last week I was cleaning off the back porch and had drug the trash can outside. Of course, I got distracted with the feeding, changing and such of the kiddos and left our kitchen trash can out on the porch. Dinner time came around and now I am just too lazy to go out and get the trash can, so I spent the night with out my kitchen garbage can.<br /><br />Let me tell you, I loved it. In my attempt to be more green I am recycling and have started a compose. However, as hard as I try to be noble....sometimes my laziness gets the best of me. The recycling is outside, and sometimes it is just easier to sneak that plastic tab from the milk into the trash can. Or it is just too simple to chuck that little bit of food into the trash. It is just too much to have to open the back door and toss it into the recycling or out to the compose pile. I know, I know, pretty sad. <br /><br />But, with my trash can outside with the recycling there is *no* temptation to just toss, toss, toss. I consider every piece of garbage, and they all go in their proper place. If you are a lazy recycler/composer try this method for a week or two. Then you will be able to move your trash can back in, but with a new awareness and a good habit. It works for me!<br /><br />Check out more Works for Me Wednesday @ <a href="http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/it_works_for_me/index.html">rocks in my dryer</a>greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-88546430815345488022008-05-20T13:27:00.000-07:002008-05-20T14:13:31.136-07:00Which sin is this?<a href="http://www.terrachoice.com/Home/Six%20Sins%20of%20Greenwashing"><a href="http://www.terrachoice.com/images/125x125_a.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.terrachoice.com/images/125x125_a.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UFUWeezTK4PIv9VaFKqCLI_sm_LulCbJ0B-qyiB5xvQsjmRYt3-pAz3qnG5NXCWA2v72VC9NknmZtWq7n6wXl9FQh200cg0lShaJmcqCJz2WRrzijVH0piXnf8gTbJknb1SRrDZNr98g/s1600-h/1.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UFUWeezTK4PIv9VaFKqCLI_sm_LulCbJ0B-qyiB5xvQsjmRYt3-pAz3qnG5NXCWA2v72VC9NknmZtWq7n6wXl9FQh200cg0lShaJmcqCJz2WRrzijVH0piXnf8gTbJknb1SRrDZNr98g/s320/1.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202561151860696530" /></a><br />I am looking into purchasing the Baby Safe Feeder. Whole chunks of food go into the feeder and through sucking and chewing, baby makes its own liquefied food. "Safe" in that there are no chunks to choke on. I contacted Designs U-2, Inc. the company that invented these things and requested an ingredient list.<br /><br />What I got in return was a form letter saying, in summary, that the Baby safe feeder is made in the USA and FDA approved. That it contains no phthalates, BPA, PVC, dyes, or latex. <br /><br />That's all great but, I am a little confused. In my email I asked for a list of what these things were made of, but what I got was a PR letter about what they don't contain. I do not trust the FDA. Their "approval" does nothing for me. In fact I think that the FDA should be done away with all together, then we would have the personal responsibility to ensure that the things we are giving our children to suck on do not contain chemicals that are cancer-causing. Or that the lotions, creams, and sunscreens that we are lathering on them are not full of parabens and "fragrance" and causing more harm than good. We would know that we are the only ones looking out for ourselves and our children, without some false sense of security that someone else is protecting us.<br /><br />Oh, in reply I also got washing instructions. They advise washing it with vinegar, so they get bonus points for that I suppose. At least they are not suggesting you dip it in bleach......<br /><br />So although they are not parading their product as "green", I think anything that you tout as being safe for children should fit that category as well. Why not make the mesh out of organic cotton, instead of polyester?<br /><br />So, which one? Irrelevance? No Proof? Vagueness?greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-10640353660382100442008-05-19T06:53:00.001-07:002008-05-20T12:10:35.528-07:00Meatless Monday<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yMjYdsszqYnMUWnAZDtdk1zRPqL7IBtc72txGhwN50aMQ1ks_Eu4aQAo4HjpyWINF4PaxD1kXnm7SI0dkiIG96LAUickyH804B3kd-valhRN-g-sbjMgOy1WuWFgNplw7PUTn_sBSMht/s1600-h/100_8530.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yMjYdsszqYnMUWnAZDtdk1zRPqL7IBtc72txGhwN50aMQ1ks_Eu4aQAo4HjpyWINF4PaxD1kXnm7SI0dkiIG96LAUickyH804B3kd-valhRN-g-sbjMgOy1WuWFgNplw7PUTn_sBSMht/s400/100_8530.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202539427916113314" /></a><br />Well, Saturday morning was spent running around like a chicken with my head cut off!<br />My little ones are not even to the soccer game/ballet lesson/birthday party/etc. age yet and I still was super busy Saturday morning. I did make it to the farmer's market bright and early to pick up my "bushel" of goodies from the CSA I signed up for last week. What a serious disappointment. My so-called bushel contained two small sprigs of oregano, a bunch of chives and a few asparagus spears. I am heart broken.<br /><br />I was whining about it to my mother and she basically told me to suck it up, and that when signing up for the CSA I should have known that I was "participating in the risk". I hate it when she is right. The weather has been really, really mild here. I don't know what I was expecting...he can't magically coax food from the earth just because I cut him a check. The thing that really got my blood boiling though, is that he charged me for the plants I bought from him. I wanted to get a few more tomato plants and a couple more herbs to squeeze into the empty spaces in my garden. Couldn't he have throw in the marjoram for good will?<br /><br />I am still optimistic about next week, and the items we did get look great so hopefully in the end we will all come out on top. The eggs are awesome, it is too bad I broke three of them on the way to the car wrestling L and E and the stroller and the plants and the eggs and, you get the idea. I am still supporting a local farmer with a family of his own, so maybe I will just consider this a charity case this week.<br /><br />At any rate, here is what's for dinner tonight. It is Meatless Monday and the ingredients are all in my fridge and pantry.<br /><br /><br />Spring Tabbouleh<br /><br />1 cup fine bulgur<br />1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1/2 inch pieces<br />1 cup peas, freshly shelled<br /><br />1 garlic clove, crushed to paste with 2 big pinches of salt<br />juice of one lemon<br />1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil<br /><br />1 bunch chives, finely chopped<br />1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped<br />2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped<br /><br />Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil.<br /><br />Put the bulgur in a medium bowl, add boiling water to the surface of the grains and let stand for about 15 minutes, just until tender. Drain and press out any remaining water and toss with a couple pinches of salt. Set aside.<br /><br />Return the saucepan to the heat and bring the remainder of the water back up to a boil. Salt the water and cook the asparagus and peas for just about 20 seconds, just long enough for them to brighten up and lose a bit of their bite. Drain, run under colder water to stop the cooking, and add to the bulgur.<br /><br />For the dressing, whisk the garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil together and season with more salt if needed.<br /><br />To the bulgur, asparagus, and peas add 1/2 the chives and walnuts. Toss with a big splash of dressing. Taste and add more dressing if needed. Adjust the seasoning. Garnish with the remaining chives, walnuts and chopped egg.<br /><br />Serves 4-6.greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-64903152499370915752008-05-14T05:51:00.000-07:002008-05-27T11:55:50.542-07:00Works for Me Wednesday<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRi3rrIwVA2_AJuBHdK4-PUKiKhinuFIBGi24lsefHsQLGQJHzqe4sg6DsOdOMSCZI4oqcAJr-z_L2HHgKVWdjpvYduvAad6ldygcWIacgWzunRs3gI8pCQCT3G9LiwOTSk5dQczLqhKU/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRi3rrIwVA2_AJuBHdK4-PUKiKhinuFIBGi24lsefHsQLGQJHzqe4sg6DsOdOMSCZI4oqcAJr-z_L2HHgKVWdjpvYduvAad6ldygcWIacgWzunRs3gI8pCQCT3G9LiwOTSk5dQczLqhKU/s400/1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200216911465899410" /></a><br />Today, in honor of sinus problems, I would like to share my spring-time trick that works for me. I always have issues in the spring, some allergy related. Although it seems that they have backed off some since having kids??? Maybe I just don't have the time to stop and realize how bad I feel. <br /><br />The thing that has really been working for me so far this spring, is a Neti Pot. Maybe I was living in a cave, but I just discovered these about a month ago. They are absolutely great. It is a small tea pot looking thing that you use to pour a saline solution through your sinuses. Let me tell you, it cleans all that yuck out. I haven't been to the doctor begging for sinus meds yet this year, and don't think I will end up there at all. No sinus infections? No doctor bills? Works for me!<br /><br />Check out more Works for me Wednesday at <a href="http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/it_works_for_me/index.html">Rocks in my Dryer</a>.<br /><br />P.s. Tomorrow is the last day to receive your $25 for signing up for Revolution Money exchange, use the button on the left. It is free and super easy! Works for me.greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-64243042848167112992008-05-13T14:34:00.000-07:002008-05-13T14:54:08.157-07:00Rainy days<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK6-B4HNIpJyqOsy_aiEIRbXkd_vppR-H_BydUbvG-_TlqjXUieUMfJcKXdybhYY9Q8C4avhW6BTU8M_f1PzzyjMHFqj6vIE84qirLJdkOTypvy43PNB_p07J3AzTeNDEPyd1ZgzaIN7K7/s1600-h/100_8512.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK6-B4HNIpJyqOsy_aiEIRbXkd_vppR-H_BydUbvG-_TlqjXUieUMfJcKXdybhYY9Q8C4avhW6BTU8M_f1PzzyjMHFqj6vIE84qirLJdkOTypvy43PNB_p07J3AzTeNDEPyd1ZgzaIN7K7/s400/100_8512.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5199982011114546562" /></a><br />This has to be the most content baby out there. Little Bean just woke up from a nap with mamma, isn't she the cutest thing ever?<br />We are still going diaper free most of the time. She does great through naps, especially on those occasions that I get to sleep with her. At home is simple, however, I am still not brave enough to try it out of the house....or tell my pediatrician!greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-45940679614386269952008-05-12T11:33:00.000-07:002008-05-12T12:14:51.339-07:00Life savings spent<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-pjNHqCes7D52om0xnzq_RdOONHiXiojSXMFJ8iCjQbQQ9sOgReNoHjK__PSrKZ6tuJhGLtxwzTKmDpGvfw9KeEehBOhzHh7LsFmHu5G6qcJVaNncatjavHVNDBkyK7HDSP_0zPVypKfi/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-pjNHqCes7D52om0xnzq_RdOONHiXiojSXMFJ8iCjQbQQ9sOgReNoHjK__PSrKZ6tuJhGLtxwzTKmDpGvfw9KeEehBOhzHh7LsFmHu5G6qcJVaNncatjavHVNDBkyK7HDSP_0zPVypKfi/s400/1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5199566881050551666" /></a><br />I called my dear husband on Saturday afternoon after running around all morning, most of which was spent at the <a href="http://www.columbiafarmersmarket.org/">local farmer's market</a>. <br /><br />The market was crazy busy, and lots of goodies there, despite the cooler than normal weather we have been having. The weather has slowed down the produce, but it was still in full swing with lots of plants, soaps, breads, meats, eggs, and more. I snatched up some asparagus right off the bat. I kept seeing these *gorgeous* hanging baskets in every one's hand and had to scope them out right away. <br /><br /><br />I was looking to add a few more items to the garden, mostly herbs. We got some lovely ones, and at a great price. A totally random purchase was that of some blackberry bushes. We came across them toward the end of the day, and he gave us a great deal on them. The three cherub faces of my daughters and niece helped with that, I think. I am just going to throw them in along the fence and see what happens. We will not have berries until next year, but I think the girls will have fun picking them. <br /><br />And we ran across a few people with spots still open for their <a href="http://www.localharvest.org/csa/">CSA</a>. I am so excited. I spent a pretty penny this week at the Farmer's Market (who knew it could be so dangerous!). The gentleman who runs it was wonderfully accommodating. It is from Danjo Farms, which is the name of the husband and wife team that runs it, Dan and Joanne. How cute is that? This was the first week and we go the last spot. Since it has been so mild here, he didn't have any extra produce, but let us choose some herb plants to start us off on the first week. We will be getting a 12 lb. bushel every Saturday morning. It is filled with various vegetables, that we can modify and specify if we want. I also opted to add a dozen eggs and 3 lbs. of fruit for an extra $288. The price of the CSA dropped $150 because I signed us up to work 12 hours on his farm, which I am sooooo looking forward to. <br /><br />This should be an awesome way to supplement the haul we are getting out of our own garden. I told him of my canning plans, and he was willing to include extra tomatoes or peppers to help me if I need more ingredients for my sauces and salsas. I am sure that will not be a problem, I have a lot of plants, but I love that it is an option. I cannot wait for next weekend to roll around and see what is in store for us in that bushel basket. I told my dear husband that I had spent our life savings at the Farmer's Market, he just laughed and said he better find another job.....just wait till he finds out! Who cuts a $900.00 check at the Farmer's Market?? Only me.greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-64615151303878532162008-05-12T11:30:00.000-07:002008-05-13T14:33:35.522-07:00Meatless MondayWe hit the farmer's market this weekend. On this meatless Monday, I am incorporating some ingredients I found there. It has been unseasonably cool here, so the pickins' were slim. However, I did finally get signed up for a CSA! *woohoo*<br />We did come home with a few more plants for the garden, including some blackberry bushes. We won't have blackberries until next year, but I think the girls will have fun picking them. We plan on putting them in along the fence and just letting them go wild.<br />The hot item at the market this weekend was asparagus, it was everywhere. And I just can't stop buying strawberries! So here is what's for dinner...............<br /><br />Grilled Asparagus Salad<br /><br />1/4 cup olive oil<br />2 Tblsp. lemon juice<br />12 fresh asparagus spears<br />6 cups fresh spinach leaves<br />2 Tblsp. grated Parmesan cheese<br />1 Tblsp. seasoned slivered almonds<br /><br />Combine lemon juice and olive oil on a plate. Place asparagus on the plate, and roll around to coat.<br />Grill asparagus for about 5 minutes, turning at least once and brushing with the olive oil mixture. Remove from the grill and place back on the plate with the oil. (You can also broil these, it takes about 7 minutes that way.)<br />In a large bowl, combine the spinach, Parmesan cheese, and slivered almonds. Cut asparagus into bite size pieces, and add to the salad along wiht the lemon juice and oil from the plate. Toss to blend, then serve.<br /><br />Possible add-ins include<br />-cooked penne (If you need something a little more hearty)<br />-chopped tomato<br /><br />And for dessert.........<br /><br />Balsamic Strawberries<br /><br />1 Tblsp. butter<br />2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved<br />1/4 cup (or less) sugar<br />1 Tblsp. balsamic vinegar<br />Organic plain yogurt or low-fat vanilla ice cream<br /><br />Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the strawverries, sugar, and vinegar. Cook until the strawberries are heated through and darkened to a ruby red.<br /><br />Place yogurt or ice cream into dessert bowls or stemmed glasses. Spoon strawberries over the ice cream and serve. Serves 4.<br /><br />Um, yum.greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-64767355832471017012008-05-09T10:47:00.000-07:002008-05-09T11:19:30.511-07:00Hazard Pay<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4xxSpT293PSIqwXGgbgZEwc_4g1nnjKbIrAxeo2tym2clb8IMHNvC4zgLfubIN6IB5tpF8acBwDcQCj5NTQ4isQXIIdheSbz1FY-vlcslRow-n2uKOBpFigu74uO0ANLxXUJ0936epMU/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4xxSpT293PSIqwXGgbgZEwc_4g1nnjKbIrAxeo2tym2clb8IMHNvC4zgLfubIN6IB5tpF8acBwDcQCj5NTQ4isQXIIdheSbz1FY-vlcslRow-n2uKOBpFigu74uO0ANLxXUJ0936epMU/s400/2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198444250653004242" /></a><br />I always love the news blurbs about how much a stay-at-home mom is worth, no matter how many times I hear it. For some reason it makes me feel appreciated, even if we are talking immaginary dollars. I heard it on the radio again this morning, on the way to the doctor's office. According to salary.com, they said, the average stay-at-home mom is worth the $100,000 range. <br /><br />I went on salary.com and they have a calculator that will let you imput a few of your specifics. My <a href="http://swz.salary.com/momsalarywizard/layoutscripts/mswl_mompaycheck.asp?momtype=1&preschool=2&schoolage=0&zipcode=65202&state=Missouri&city=Columbia&statecode=MO&zipadjustfct=-0.071&jobsearch=%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C2%7C%7C%7C0%7C%7C%7CHS08000041%7C18%7C%7C%7CED03000088%7C18%7C%7C%7CHS08000001%7C12%7C%7C%7CIT10000013%7C7%7C%7C%7CHS08000129%7C9%7C%7C%7CSC16000018%7C6%7C%7C%7CMM18000033%7C6%7C%7C%7CEX05000001%7C6%7C%7C%7CTR20000002%7C5%7C%7C%7CHC07000044%7C8%7C%7C%7CDD19000034%7C0%7C%7C%7COF13000001%7C0%7C%7C%7COF13000043%7C1%7C%7C%7CFA06000152%7C2%7C%7C%7CSC16000023%7C0%7C%7C%7CSC16000016%7C1%7C%7C%7CHC07000021%7C3%7C%7C%7CHC07000001%7C0%7C%7C%7CSC16000004%7C0%7C%7C%7CMM18000009%7C0%7C%7C%7C&issavedlist=0&Hour_0=18&JobCode_0=HS08000041&Hour_1=18&JobCode_1=ED03000088&Hour_2=12&JobCode_2=HS08000001&Hour_3=7&JobCode_3=IT10000013&Hour_4=9&JobCode_4=HS08000129&Hour_5=6&JobCode_5=SC16000018&Hour_6=6&JobCode_6=MM18000033&Hour_7=6&JobCode_7=EX05000001&Hour_8=5&JobCode_8=TR20000002&Hour_9=8&JobCode_9=HC07000044&Hour_10=&JobCode_10=DD19000034&Hour_11=&JobCode_11=OF13000001&Hour_12=1&JobCode_12=OF13000043&Hour_13=2&JobCode_13=FA06000152&Hour_14=&JobCode_14=SC16000023&Hour_15=1&JobCode_15=SC16000016&Hour_16=3&JobCode_16=HC07000021&Hour_17=&JobCode_17=HC07000001&Hour_18=&JobCode_18=SC16000004&Hour_19=&JobCode_19=MM18000009">resulting paycheck</a> is $117,104. How do you stack up? <br /><br />Wouldn't it be nice if this were the case? I sincerly believe those of us that choose to take care of our children are saints, whether it be the stay-at-home mom, the daycare provider, teacher, school bus driver, ect. <br /><br />I heard this broadcast on the way to the doctor's office this morning, where I had to wait an hour in the waiting room with my 2 year old and my darling 4 month old daugthers. Anxiously awaiting the time when our name gets called, so we can be taken back to another room where we wait another 45 minutes for someone to see us. They are "understaffed today". Once someone does come in my 2 year old gets to watch as they stick three needles, one right after another, in the legs of her screaming baby sister. All while mom helplessly holds her down. I want Hazard Pay.greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-49988311579464686562008-05-08T15:28:00.000-07:002008-05-11T06:34:20.518-07:00More Coco Puffs, please!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vJ0Qq1yrybCDhrlyqrHfz6sBuAG0xejIaYHiqB1UC4bTXIID7fEZ9e6ObCLVnRE3FF_0uxrC23qdeDBWfCJbUify3Wgv8iQ9Mk8hyA9GdGA8Q6ovZo-7NyR48kH6CUUFhvImVIAECo1I/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vJ0Qq1yrybCDhrlyqrHfz6sBuAG0xejIaYHiqB1UC4bTXIID7fEZ9e6ObCLVnRE3FF_0uxrC23qdeDBWfCJbUify3Wgv8iQ9Mk8hyA9GdGA8Q6ovZo-7NyR48kH6CUUFhvImVIAECo1I/s400/3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198200912375715506" /></a><br /><br />"Today's children are exposed to far more TV advertising than their parents were-up to 200 commercials a day!" This according to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Affluenza-All-Consuming-Epidemic-Bk-Currents/dp/1576753573/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210286495&sr=8-1">Affluenza</a> (2001)<br /><br />And according to the AAP, children in the United States see 40,000 commercials a year. Check out this <a href="http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/tv_affects_child.html">link</a> to see how it is affecting your children's health.<br /><br />These are some terribly disturbing statistics. I am fortunate, my oldest E never really cared much about the television. I didn't have cable growing up, and I never really cared much for it either. I like to think that she takes after me. She is two and a half and I can probably count the number of commercials she has seen on one hand. Unfortunately, my younger one already seems to have taken after her Dada. He is not obsessed, but he thrives on it more than I do. She is only 4 months old and already seems eerily drawn to the thing. <br /><br />We got around this problem by getting rid of our cable all together. Now, don't get me wrong...those first few weeks were a little rough. But, we made it through and we are so much better for it. If it were up to me, we would never turn the damn thing on again. I do live in reality (at least some of the time) and I know it will come back on one of these days. For when that day comes, I am doing what I can to stop marketers from praying on my children.<br /><br />Sadly, the television is the least of our worries as parents. At least we know that it can be a threat. Our children are not even safe from these aggressive marketing tactics anywhere, even in their <a href="http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content4/ads.in.schools.html">schools</a>. <br /><br /><br />Do what you can for your children, to protect them from this ridiculous onslaught. How about the Parents Bill of Rights?<br /><a href="http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/commercialalert/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=577">Cast your vote here!</a>greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-22931151560685524842008-05-07T12:02:00.000-07:002008-05-08T15:18:20.628-07:00Works for Me Wednesday<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSMjymynbCi7PQiz9zrdDCvRXsVl9eQ9EZ_SYALHT83KT3S1W6As-duT-riBRZcO8jAzheT0YZ-EGj5Ie8UWNI0c6MdfcF9iaBhhAPbFaY2-GGf_22HYAA3ZlFisEul9fTTAQpHpGj48c/s1600-h/6a00d83451c5ac69e200e5517781a38833-800wi.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSMjymynbCi7PQiz9zrdDCvRXsVl9eQ9EZ_SYALHT83KT3S1W6As-duT-riBRZcO8jAzheT0YZ-EGj5Ie8UWNI0c6MdfcF9iaBhhAPbFaY2-GGf_22HYAA3ZlFisEul9fTTAQpHpGj48c/s320/6a00d83451c5ac69e200e5517781a38833-800wi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197718205296285330" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9MGbgAS2Na810yakXwRUjTKMYUOM_RFskpqsxwSnYN-dZET93Ka95c8hVXLMV6NP-5BWF21mv692UK1LeTk3d-eQEXs_pSKpzYpK0DZiesplbw-3eXBQDY-8O4VMDefY9Y43scQEeTmm/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9MGbgAS2Na810yakXwRUjTKMYUOM_RFskpqsxwSnYN-dZET93Ka95c8hVXLMV6NP-5BWF21mv692UK1LeTk3d-eQEXs_pSKpzYpK0DZiesplbw-3eXBQDY-8O4VMDefY9Y43scQEeTmm/s320/2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197713983343433346" /></a><br />Works for me Wednesday<br /><br />Today is a "doesn't Work for me Wednesday"<br /><br />In honor of Mother's Day, I thought I would share my favorite Mother's Day gift. We all love flowers, but they fade. We all love chocolates, but we know where they go. We all love <em>stuff</em> *ahem*, but don't we have enough? None of these things work for me. However....<br /><br />My parents split when I was five, so my dad was never around to give my mother anything. I am certain there were, sadly, Mother's Day holidays that came and went without my mother even getting a "Happy Mother's Day" wish. However, I do remember when we were a little older, my little sister and I would make her coupon books. You know the type, one good for a back massage, one good for dusting, etc.<br /><br />My mother is still single, and we live in the same town again. Now that I have little ones of my own, I still like to make those coupon books. We color and decorate them as a family. However now they read things like..."Good for one afternoon of lawn care" and "Good for a weekend of heavy lifting" or "Good for one room painted"<br /><br />The whole family heads over to Nana's house, and we have fun helping each other. She gets those things done that she has a hard time doing herself, and we get to spend some quality time together. An added bonus, the coupons never sit on a shelf collecting dust! Works for me. (Just wish the hubby would catch on! I'll take one of those books myself)<br /><br /><a href="http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/it_works_for_me/index.html">Check out more Works for Me Wednesday here</a>.greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-20880797029733930692008-05-06T10:44:00.000-07:002008-05-06T11:24:44.670-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHGxOUGJM9tCPs0FlIVgaCm-h9AUqNyvBWojLTaMV-iK0rhR1JrwYcd4PESYR-GbdMZxQcbKl-DVXpUXNAKUwpFdxTosQQ3xPisM8nlDH_wZFLok6Q6-_1vCfrSJmLw7RhO6ooe7AE6Uz/s1600-h/100_3472.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHGxOUGJM9tCPs0FlIVgaCm-h9AUqNyvBWojLTaMV-iK0rhR1JrwYcd4PESYR-GbdMZxQcbKl-DVXpUXNAKUwpFdxTosQQ3xPisM8nlDH_wZFLok6Q6-_1vCfrSJmLw7RhO6ooe7AE6Uz/s320/100_3472.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197325029574059874" /></a><br />For E's first birthday, I went all out on the decorations, the food, the cake, the cupcakes, the whole nine yards. However, Dad and I had decided that we didn't want a truck load of toys at the end of it. E has a cousin who, incidentally passes down a lot of things to us. Most of them are like new and we are very fortunate to get her hand-me-downs. I also have some wonderful single friends in Chicago and New York that just can't help themselves and send us packages on a regular basis. So, we already had a house full of great things to entertain our little one. <br /><br />We put little inserts into her invitations letting everyone know how we felt. We felt very blessed to have what we do, and felt like we didn't need anything else to <em>trip over</em>. Please, come to the party, but don't bring any gifts. If you feel like you must do something, cut her a check. That's right, we went there, however inappropriate. We asked that people give cash to start her a savings account. Now as anti-Miss Manners this is, a lot of the people invited were family members so somehow we felt okay about doing it. <br /><br />The day of the party arrived and we had dropped a pretty penny on the festivities, but what the hell? she only turns 1 once. E's birthday is October 29th, so of course, we went with the Halloween theme. We had a great time, I talked our neighbors into letting them trick or treat, even though it was two days before Halloween. But, somehow we ended up with a table of gifts, I guess they just can't help drop $20 bucks at ToysRUs on some silly doll. So be it. The funny thing is that the people who did bring checks or cash gave her like $5 bucks. Isn't that ridiculous? Can't part with hard-earned cash for a college fund, but on a piece of plastic from China...bring it on.<br /><br />Over the weekend we had two 2 year old birthday parties to attend on Saturday. That's right, two of them. One was at noon, and the other at 3 o'clock. There wasn't even the excuse that we couldn't do them both because they were at the same time. So Hubby and I decided just to go for the gusto and do them both, to hell with naps.<br /><br />The first one went great, a casual little deal in the back yard with plenty of decent beer for the dads. The birthday girl got a few gifts and we all played a few games. Then on to the park for birthday party number two. This one was a combo-party for a two year old little girl and a one year old little boy, they are cousins. I like the idea, just get it all over at once. <br /><br />The pile of gifts was obscene...OBSCENE. It took an entire picnic table, and it was still over-flowing. Now, I know that little kids have no idea. How would they know that they are not supposed to just tear into each package, tossing the contents aside like a piece of garbage? No one knows who got what, or who gave what. Watching the adults feed them one brightly colored gift after another was about enough to make me vomit.<br /><br />I think when E's comes around again this year we will just put the cash in her savings fund ourselves and take her our for an icecream cone.....or maybe to volunteer at the local homeless shelter.greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3036772020382932043.post-91188848967227737192008-05-05T16:04:00.000-07:002008-05-05T16:16:56.751-07:00Meatless Monday<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdn0YTj7QwmJ_vLYyTOU9I1Xo4rld9_mulgn68nYGT__AmkFM3jafNHqzf1TYU_zR332-KBSqWgNlFTKpHg4WF0sAV1WHjHKb8Jj2yV7XVQJ5NiVELwRABLExUFDQiDBBNwv7LYYjbDg1/s1600-h/images1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdn0YTj7QwmJ_vLYyTOU9I1Xo4rld9_mulgn68nYGT__AmkFM3jafNHqzf1TYU_zR332-KBSqWgNlFTKpHg4WF0sAV1WHjHKb8Jj2yV7XVQJ5NiVELwRABLExUFDQiDBBNwv7LYYjbDg1/s320/images1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197036738484250450" /></a><br />Meatless Monday<br /><br />In honor of Cinco de Mayo I thought I would share one of my favorite super easy recipes. It is not authentic in any way, but tastes yummy none the less. My mother and I make our own salsa from all the tomatoes in the garden, this is a great way to use it.<br /><br />Black Bean Soup<br /><br />-16 oz of black beans, prepared (Or if you are short on time, 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed)<br />-1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (I also make this homemade and freeze it, however you can use the store bought stuff, if you must)<br />-1 cup chunky salsa<br />-1 teaspoon ground cumin<br />-sour cream (or I like to use organic plain yogurt, it is so good for you!)<br />-thinly sliced green onion<br /><br />In a food processor or blender, combine beans broth, salsa, and cumin. Blend until fairly smooth. I like to leave it a little chunky.<br /><br />Heat mixture in a sauce pan over medium heat until thoroughly heated.<br /><br />Ladle soup into bowls and top with sour cream and green onion. (you can top it with anything you have on hand, i.e. tomatoes, avacado, ect.)<br /><br />Serves four.<br /><br />I like to serve this soup with homemade Guacamole (I got avacados at ALDI for .49 a piece, score!)and Smoked Gouda and Caramelized Onion Quesadillas, yum! Have a happy Cinco de Mayo!greenmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699816864925999099noreply@blogger.com0